Context-sensitive hand interaction

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for context-sensitive hand interaction with an immersive environment are provided. An example method includes determining a contextual factor for a user and selecting an interaction mode based on the contextual factor. The example method may also include monitoring a hand of the user to determine a hand property and determining an interaction with an immersive environment based on the interaction mode and the hand property.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No.62/543,775, filed on Aug. 10, 2017, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Various types of systems can generate immersive environments for users.For example, a virtual reality (VR) system generates an immersivevirtual environment for a user. The immersive virtual environment can bethree-dimensional (3D) and can include multiple virtual objects withwhich the user may interact. As another example, an augmented reality(AR) system generates an immersive augmented environment for a user. Theimmersive augmented environment can be generated by superimposingcomputer-generated graphical content, such as images, on a user's fieldof view of the real world.

The user can experience these immersive environments via various displaydevices such as, for example, a helmet or other head mounted deviceincluding a display, glasses, or goggles that a user looks through whenviewing a display device.

The user may interact with the immersive environment in a variety ofways. For example, the user may use hand movements to interact with theimmersive environment. The user may also manipulate a controller tointeract with the immersive environment.

SUMMARY

This document relates, generally, to context-sensitive hand interactionin an immersive environment rendering. In some implementations, thefoveated rendering is smoothly varying.

One aspect is a method comprising: determining a contextual factor for auser; selecting an interaction mode based on the contextual factor;monitoring a hand of the user to determine a hand property; anddetermining an interaction with an immersive environment based on theinteraction mode and the hand property.

Another aspect is a system comprising: at least one processor; andmemory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least oneprocessor, cause the system to: determine a contextual factor for auser; select an interaction mode based on the contextual factor; monitorthe user's hand to determine a hand property; and determine aninteraction with an immersive environment based on the interaction modeand the hand property.

Another aspect is a method comprising: generating an immersiveenvironment that includes a three-dimensional virtual canvas;determining an orientation of a handheld electronic device held in afirst hand of a user; based on the orientation of the handheldelectronic device indicating the first hand is in a first state,selecting a positional interaction mode; using a hand tracker todetermine a position of a second hand of the user; mapping the positionof the second hand to a virtual hand position in the immersiveenvironment; generating a visual entity in the three-dimensional virtualcanvas based on the virtual hand position; monitoring for a change tothe orientation of the handheld electronic device; and responsive to theorientation of the handheld device changing to a changed orientation:determining that the changed orientation indicates the first hand is ina second state; and responsive to determining that the first hand is inthe second state, selecting a ray-based collision mode as theinteraction mode and generating a virtual ray that extends in a pointingdirection from the virtual hand position.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will beapparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system according to an exampleimplementation.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an example method of providingcontext-sensitive hand interaction, in accordance with implementationsas described herein.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are diagrams depicting an example head-mounteddisplay device and controller, in accordance with implementations asdescribed herein.

FIG. 4 is a third-person view of a physical space in which a user isexperiencing an immersive environment through the HMD of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is another third-person view of the physical space of FIG. 4 inwhich the user is experiencing the immersive environment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a third-person view of a physical space in which a user isexperiencing an immersive environment through the HMD of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is another third-person view of the physical space of FIG. 6 inwhich the user is experiencing the immersive environment of FIG. 6.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show third-person views of a physical space in which auser is experiencing an immersive environment through the HMD of FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a computer device and a mobile computerdevice that can be used to implement the techniques described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to non-limiting examples of thisdisclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. The examples are described below by referring to the drawings,wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements. When likereference numerals are shown, corresponding description(s) are notrepeated and the interested reader is referred to the previouslydiscussed figure(s) for a description of the like element(s).

At least some implementations of VR systems and AR systems include ahead-mounted display device (HMD) that can be worn by a user to generatean immersive environment for the user. Examples of an immersiveenvironment include a VR environment generated by a VR system and an ARenvironment generated by an AR system. In at least some implementations,the HMD includes a stereoscopic display in which different images and/orvideos are shown to each of the user's eyes to convey depth. The HMD maydisplay images that cover some (AR) or all (VR) of a user's field ofview. The HMD may also track the movement of the user's head and/orpupil location. As the user's head moves, the HMD may display updatedimages that correspond to the user's changing orientation and/orposition within the AR or VR environment.

Some implementations of VR and/or AR systems include a hand tracker thatcan track a user's hands. The hand tracker may track one of the user'shands or both of the user's hands. The hand tracker may be a componentof the HMD or may be separate from the HMD. In some implementations, thehand tracker performs key point detection to track one or more points ofa user's hand, such as finger tips, knuckles, etc.

The hand tracker may determine various hand properties of the user'shand. In some implementations, a hand property may correspond to anaction performed by a hand of a user to provide user input to theimmersive environment. For example, the hand action may control avirtual entity in the immersive environment or interact with theimmersive environment. The hand action may include positioning the handin a specific place, moving the hand in a specific motion, or arrangingthe fingers of the hand in a specific configuration.

In some implementations, a hand property is a measurement of one or moreof a position, relative position, orientation, relative orientation,motion, or configuration (e.g., arrangement of fingers) of a user'shand. The relative position and relative orientation may be determinedwith respect to a direction of gravitational force, the position ororientation of an HMD worn by the user, or a position or orientation ofa portion of the user's body. In some implementations, a hand propertyis determined based on measurements of one or more of a position,relative position, orientation, relative orientation, motion, orarrangement of a user's hand. For example, a hand property may be agesture (e.g., a continuous motion) performed by a user's hand that maybe determined based on a sequence of measurements of the position,orientation, motion, and arrangement of the user's hand.

An example hand property is a position of the user's hand. Anotherexample hand property is a pointing direction of a finger of the user.Another example hand property is a position of a finger of the user.Another example hand property is a gesture performed by the hand.Another example hand property is an arrangement (or hand sign/signal) ofthe user's hand (e.g., the positions and orientations of at least someof the fingers relative to the hand). Another example hand property is amovement of the user's hand from a first position to a second position.

In some implementations, hand properties are determined based onmeasurements (or sequences of measurements) of the position, motion,orientation, or six-degrees-of-freedom pose of a handheld controller.These measurements may be used to infer one or more of a position,relative position, orientation, relative orientation, motion, orarrangement of a user's hand and, in turn, a hand property.

Some implementations of VR and/or AR systems also determine aninteraction mode. In some implementations, the interaction mode defineshow user inputs interact with the immersive environment. For example,the interaction mode may define which hand properties are determined andhow the hand properties impact the immersive environment. Theinteraction mode may be stored as variable or setting in the system.Based on the determined interaction mode and the determined handproperty, an interaction with the immersive environment is performed.Non-limiting examples of interaction modes include a positionalinteraction mode, a ray-based collision mode, and a point-basedcollision mode.

In at least some implementations, the interaction mode is selected basedon a contextual factor. For example, the VR or AR system may determine acontextual factor for the user and then select an interaction mode basedon the contextual factor.

In some implementations, the contextual factor is a property of thephysical environment, the immersive environment, or the user. Forexample, the contextual factor may be a property of the user's bodyposition, the user's head position, or the user's eye position. In someimplementations, the contextual factor is determined based on aposition, orientation, or six-degree-of-freedom pose of one or more ofhandheld controllers or HMDs. The contextual factor may also be a stateof a user input control of the system.

In some implementations, the contextual factors include properties ofthe user in a physical environment, properties of a representation ofthe user in an immersive environment, or values of settings in thesystem that a user may be able to modify. In some implementations, acontextual factor is a property of the physical environment, theimmersive environment, the application environment, the user, or arepresentation of the user in the immersive environment. Non-limitingexamples of contextual factors include a mode setting, an actuationstate of a user-input element, a physical position of a user's hand, aposition or orientation of a handheld electronic device, a proximitybetween the user's hands, a virtual position of the user's hand in theimmersive environment, an orientation of the user's head, and a focuspoint determined based on the user's gaze.

In some implementations, the interaction mode may be selected based onvarious determined hand properties, such as the pose of the user's hand.The pose may, for example, be a six degrees of freedom pose of theuser's hand that includes the position and orientation of the user'shand. For example, the interaction mode may be selected based on thepose of the user's hand and the interaction may be determined based onanother hand property, such as the position of the user's hand or afinger of the user's hand.

In one example, the VR or AR system generates an immersive paintingenvironment. For example, the immersive painting environment may allowthe user to paint within a three-dimensional canvas volume. In someimplementations, the three-dimensional canvas volume occupies a portionof the immersive environment. In other implementations, thethree-dimensional canvas volume occupies the entire immersive volume(i.e., the user can paint anywhere). The immersive painting environmentmay also include a user interface entity through which the user canperform various actions (e.g., cut-and-paste, save the canvas volume,etc.) and adjust various settings, such as paint color, brushtype/style, etc.

The VR or AR system may determine an interaction mode for the userwithin the immersive painting environment based on a contextual factorfor a user. For instance, in a first interaction mode that provides forpositional interaction, the position of the user's hand may be trackedand mapped to a virtual hand position. Visual entities may then begenerated in the immersive environment at the virtual hand positions to,for example, represent paint from a paint brush. The visual entities mayinclude vertices, polygonal meshes, sprites, voxels, and/or pointclouds. In a second interaction mode that provides for ray-basedcollisions, both the position of the user's hand and a pointingdirection of a finger of the user's hand may be tracked and used togenerate a virtual ray that extends in the pointing direction from thefinger of the user's hand in the immersive environment. The VR or ARsystem may then identify entities in the immersive environment thatintersect with the virtual ray. For example, the user may perform anaction using the user-interface entity by directing the virtual ray at aportion of the user-interface entity in the immersive environment.

In some implementations, the VR or AR system uses properties of a firsthand of the user to interact in the immersive environment (e.g., togenerate visual entities or to generate a virtual ray as describedabove) and determines an interaction mode based on contextual factorsdetermined about a second hand of the user. For example, if the secondhand is in an inactive position (e.g., behind the user or at the user'sside), the VR or AR system may select the first interaction mode inwhich the user can paint by generating visual entities in the canvasvolume based on the position/movements of the first hand. However, when,the second hand is moved to an active position (e.g., in front of theuser, near the first hand, raised), the VR or AR system may switch tothe second interaction mode in which a virtual ray is generated from theuser's finger in the immersive environment. The position of the secondhand may be determined using the hand tracker. Additionally, theposition of the second hand may be determined using a handheldelectronic device that is held by the user. For example, the handheldelectronic device may include an inertial motion unit (IMU) that may beable to determine the orientation, acceleration, and/or motion of thehandheld electronic device. The position/orientation of the user's handmay be inferred from one or more of the determined orientation,acceleration, and/or motion of the handheld electronic device.

Additionally, the VR or AR system may switch between the firstinteraction mode and the second interaction mode based on a user inputvia a user-input component of the handheld electronic device, such as abutton, touchscreen, switch, dial, or other type of user-inputcomponent. In some implementations, the VR or AR system switches betweeninteraction modes based on the orientation of the user's head, an actionby the user's head (e.g., a head nod), a direction of the user's gaze,or a speech input.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system 100 according to anexample implementation. The system 100 generates an immersiveenvironment, such as an AR environment or VR environment, for a user ofthe system 100. In some implementations, the system 100 includes acomputing device 102, a head-mounted display device (HMD) 104, and anAR/VR content source 106. Also shown is a network 108 over which thecomputing device 102 may communicate with the AR/VR content source 106.

In some implementations, the computing device 102 is a mobile device(e.g., a smart phone) which may be configured to provide or outputimmersive AR/VR content to a user. The computing device 102 may includea memory 110, a processor assembly 112, a display device 114, acommunication module 116, and a sensor system 118. The memory 110 mayinclude an AR/VR application 120, a context-sensitive hand interactionmodule 122, an eye tracker 124, a context determiner 126, a hand tracker128, and AR/VR content 130. The computing device 102 may also includevarious user input components (not shown) such as a handheld electronicdevice that communicates with the computing device 102 using a wirelesscommunications protocol.

The memory 110 can include one or more non-transitory computer-readablestorage media. The memory 110 may store instructions and data that areusable to generate an immersive environment for a user.

The processor assembly 112 includes one or more devices that are capableof executing instructions, such as instructions stored by the memory110, to perform various tasks, such as generating an immersiveenvironment, determining contextual factors, selecting an interactionmode based on contextual factors, and managing hand-based userinteraction. For example, the processor assembly 112 may include acentral processing unit (CPU) and/or a graphics processor unit (GPU).For example, if a GPU is present, some image or video rendering tasksassociated with generating the immersive environment may be offloadedfrom the CPU to the GPU.

The display device 114 may, for example, include an LCD (liquid crystaldisplay) screen, an OLED (organic light emitting diode) screen, atouchscreen, or any other screen or display for displaying images orinformation to a user. In some implementations, the display device 114includes a light projector arranged to project light onto a portion of auser's eye when the HMD 104 is worn.

The communication module 116 includes one or more devices forcommunicating with other computing devices, such as the AR/VR contentsource 106. The communication module 116 may communicate via wireless orwired networks.

The sensor system 118 may include various sensors, including an inertialmotion unit (IMU) 132. Implementations of the sensor system 118 may alsoinclude different types of sensors, including, for example, a lightsensor, an audio sensor, an image sensor, a distance sensor, a proximitysensor, a contact sensor such as a capacitive sensor, a timer, and/orother sensors and/or different combination(s) of sensors.

The IMU 132 detects motion, movement, and/or acceleration of thecomputing device 102 and/or the HMD 104. The IMU 132 may include varioustypes of sensors such as, for example, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, amagnetometer, and other such sensors. A position and orientation of theHMD 104 may be detected and tracked based on data provided by thesensors included in the IMU 132. The IMU 132 may include variousdifferent types of sensors such as, for example, an accelerometer, agyroscope, a magnetometer, and other such sensors. The detected positionand orientation of the HMD 104 may allow the system to detect and trackthe user's gaze direction and/or head movement.

The AR/VR application 120 may generate and present an immersiveenvironment to a user via one or more output devices of the computingdevice 102 such as the display device 114, a speaker(s) (not shown),and/or other output devices. In some implementations, the AR/VRapplication 120 includes instructions stored in the memory 110 that,when executed by the processor assembly 112, cause the processorassembly 112 to perform the operations described herein. For example,the AR/VR application 120 may generate and present an immersiveenvironment to the user based on, for example, AR/VR content, such asthe AR/VR content 130 and/or AR/VR content received from the AR/VRcontent source 106. The AR/VR content 130 may include 3D scenes that canbe rendered as images or videos for display on the display device 114.For example, the 3D scene can include one or more objects represented aspolygonal meshes. The polygonal meshes may be associated with varioussurface textures, such as colors and images. The 3D scene may alsoinclude other information such as, for example, light sources that areused in rendering the 3D scene.

The AR/VR application 120 may use the context-sensitive hand interactionmodule 122 to select an interaction mode. In some implementations, thecontext-sensitive hand interaction module 122 includes instructionsstored in the memory 110 that, when executed by the processor assembly112, cause the processor assembly 112 to perform the operationsdescribed herein. The interaction mode may be used to determine howinteraction hand properties as interactions within the immersiveenvironment. As described above, non-limiting examples of interactionmodes include a positional interaction mode, a ray-based collision mode,and a point-based collision mode. For example, the context-sensitivehand interaction module 122 may determine the interaction mode based onone or more contextual factors determined by the context determiner 126.

The context determiner 126 may determine one or more contextual factorsabout the user, the immersive environment, and/or the AR/VR applicationusing, for example, the eye tracker 124, the hand tracker 128, thesensor system 118, and/or a handheld electronic device (not shown).Non-limiting examples of contextual factors determined byimplementations of the context determiner 126 include a mode chosen by auser, a user input via a user-input component of the handheld electronicdevice, a position or orientation of at least one of the user's hands ina physical space, a position or orientation of at least one of theuser's hands in the immersive environment, an arrangement of the user'shand/s, a speech input, an orientation of the user's head, a movement ofthe user's head, a direction of the user's gaze, and/or a focus positionof the user's gaze within the immersive environment.

In some implementations, the eye tracker 124 includes instructionsstored in the memory 110 that, when executed by the processor assembly112, cause the processor assembly 112 to perform the operationsdescribed herein. For example, the eye tracker 124 may determine alocation on the display device 114 at which the user's gaze is directed.The eye tracker 124 may make this determination based on identifying andtracking the location of the user's pupils in images captured by animaging device of the sensor system 118. Based on the identifiedlocation of the user's pupils, a gaze direction for the user may bedetermined and/or a focus position of the user's gaze within theimmersive environment.

In some implementations, the hand tracker 128 includes instructionsstored in the memory 110 that, when executed by the processor assembly112, cause the processor assembly 112 to perform the operationsdescribed herein. In some implementations, the hand tracker 128 alsoincludes one or more imaging systems, such as visible light cameras orinfrared cameras. In some implementations, the hand tracker 128 includesa wearable component such as visible markers, gloves, gesture controlarmbands, etc. The hand tracker 128 may determine a location in physicalspace of one or more key points on one or both of the user's hands. Forexample, a virtual position and orientation of the user's hand in theimmersive environment may then be determined.

The AR/VR application 120 may update the AR/VR environment based oninput received from the IMU 132 and/or other components of the sensorsystem 118. For example, the IMU 132 may detect motion, movement, and/oracceleration of the computing device 102 and/or the display device 114.A position and orientation of the HMD 104 may be detected and trackedbased on data provided by the sensors included in the IMU 132. Thedetected position and orientation of the HMD 104 may allow the systemto, in turn, detect and track the user's gaze direction and headmovement. Based on the detected gaze direction and head movement, theAR/VR application 120 may update the AR/VR environment to reflect achanged orientation and/or position of the user within the environment.

Although the computing device 102 and the HMD 104 are shown as separatedevices in FIG. 1, in some implementations, the computing device 102 mayinclude the HMD 104. In some implementations, the computing device 102communicates with the HMD 104 via a cable, as shown in FIG. 1. Forexample, the computing device 102 may transmit audio and video signalsto the HMD 104 for display for the user, and the HMD 104 may transmitmotion, position, and/or orientation information to the computing device102. In some implementations, the HMD 104 includes a chamber in whichthe computing device 102 may be placed. In some implementations, theuser is able to view the display device 114 of the computing device 102while wearing the HMD 104 (e.g., through lenses or apertures within theHMD 104). For example, the computing device 102 and the HMD 104 cantogether function as a stereoscopic viewer by partitioning a screen ofthe display device 114 into a first image that is viewable by only theleft eye of the user when viewed through the HMD and a second image thatis viewable by only the right eye of the user when viewed through theHMD.

The AR/VR content source 106 may generate and output AR/VR content,which may be distributed or sent to one or more computing devices, suchas the computing device 102, via the network 108. In an exampleimplementation, the AR/VR content includes three-dimensional scenesand/or images. Additionally, the AR/VR content may include audio/videosignals that are streamed or distributed to one or more computingdevices. The AR/VR content may also include an AR/VR application thatruns on the computing device 102 to generate 3D scenes, audio signals,and/or video signals and to process hand interactions with an immersiveenvironment. According to an illustrative example implementation,virtual reality (VR) may generate an immersive environment by, at leastin some cases, replicating or simulating, to varying degrees, anenvironment or physical presence in places in the real world or imaginedworlds or environments. Augmented reality (AR) may generate an immersiveenvironment by, at least in some cases, overlaying computer generatedgraphical content, such as images, on a user's field of view of the realworld.

The network 108 may be the Internet, a local area network (LAN), awireless local area network (WLAN), and/or any other network. Thecomputing device 102, for example, may receive the audio/video signalsvia the network 108, which may be provided as part of VR content in anillustrative example implementation.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an example method 200 of providing forcontext-based hand interaction. For example, the method 200 may beperformed by implementations of the context-sensitive hand interactionmodule 122 to generate interactions within an immersive environmentgenerated by the AR/VR application 120.

At operation 202, a contextual factor is determined for a user. In someimplementations, multiple contextual factors are determined for theuser. The contextual factors may be determined by, for example, thecontext determiner 126. At least some of the contextual factors may bedetermined, at least in part, using the eye tracker 124 and/or the handtracker 128. In some implementations, contextual factors are determinedfrom head motions and/or speech inputs.

At operation 204, an interaction mode is selected based on thecontextual factor. In some implementations, the interaction mode isselected based on multiple contextual factors. The interaction mode can,for example, control how hand properties, such as positions,orientations, arrangements, poses, gestures, and motions, are convertedto interactions within the immersive environment. Non-limiting examplesof interaction modes include a positional interaction mode, a ray-basedcollision mode, and a point-based collision mode.

At operation 206, the user's hand is monitored to determine a handproperty. In some implementations, multiple hand properties aredetermined. The hand properties may be determined using the hand tracker128. Additionally, different hand properties may be determined based onthe interaction mode determined at operation 204. In someimplementations, a pointing direction of a finger of the user's hand maybe determined only when in the ray-based collision mode in someimplementations. In this manner, fewer processor cycles may be used whenin the other interaction modes because the pointing direction is notdetermined. However, in some implementations, the same hand propertiesare determined in multiple interaction modes.

At operation 208, an interaction is determined with the immersiveenvironment based on the interaction mode determined at operation 204and the hand property determined at operation 206. For example, a visualentity (e.g., to represent an artistic stroke with a paintbrush) may begenerated in some interaction modes. While in other interaction modes, auser interface element may be actuated to select a menu option or adjustthe value of a setting.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views of an example HMD 300, such as,for example, the HMD 104 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3C illustrates an examplehandheld electronic device 302 that is usable with the HMD 300.

The handheld electronic device 302 may include a housing 303 in whichinternal components of the handheld electronic device 302 are received,and a user interface 304 on an outside of the housing 303, accessible tothe user. The user interface 304 may include a touch sensitive surface306 configured to receive user touch inputs. The user interface 304 mayalso include other components for manipulation by the user such as, forexample, actuation buttons, knobs, joysticks and the like. In someimplementations, at least a portion of the user interface 304 may beconfigured as a touchscreen, with that portion of the user interface 304being configured to display user interface items to the user, and alsoto receive touch inputs from the user on the touch sensitive surface306. The handheld electronic device 302 may also include a light source308 configured to selectively emit light, for example, a beam or ray,through a port in the housing 303, for example, in response to a userinput received at the user interface 304.

The HMD 300 may include a housing 310 coupled to a frame 320, with anaudio output device 330 including, for example, speakers mounted inheadphones, also being coupled to the frame 320. In FIG. 3B, a frontportion 310 a of the housing 310 is rotated away from a base portion 310b of the housing 310 so that some of the components received in thehousing 310 are visible. A display 340 may be mounted on an interiorfacing side of the front portion 310 a of the housing 310. In someimplementations, the display 340 is a display device from a computingdevice, such as the computing device 102 of FIG. 1, that is inserted andsecured between the front portion 310 a and the base portion 310 b.

Lenses 350 may be mounted in the housing 310, between the user's eyesand the display 340 when the front portion 310 a is in the closedposition against the base portion 310 b of the housing 310. In someimplementations, the HMD 300 may include a sensing system 360 includingvarious sensors and a control system 370 including a processor 390 andvarious control system devices to facilitate operation of the HMD 300.

In some implementations, the HMD 300 may include a camera 380 ormultiple cameras to capture still and moving images. The images capturedby the camera 380 may be used to help track a physical position of theuser, the user's hand or hands, and/or the handheld electronic device302 in the real world, or physical environment relative to the immersiveenvironment, and/or may be displayed to the user on the display 340 in apass-through mode, allowing the generation of an augmented realityenvironment that includes a combination of images from the real worldand computer generated imagery. In some implementations, thepass-through mode is used to allow the user to temporarily leave theimmersive environment and return to the physical environment withoutremoving the HMD 300 or otherwise changing the configuration of the HMD300 to move the housing 310 out of the line of sight of the user.

For example, in some implementations, the sensing system 360 may includean inertial measurement unit (IMU) 362 including various different typesof sensors such as, for example, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, amagnetometer, and other such sensors. A position and orientation of theHMD 300 may be detected and tracked based on data provided by thesensors included in the IMU 362. The detected position and orientationof the HMD 300 may allow the system to, in turn, detect and track theuser's head gaze direction and movement.

In some implementations, the HMD 300 may include a gaze tracking device365 to detect and track an eye gaze of the user. The gaze trackingdevice 365 may include, for example, an image sensor 365A, or multipleimage sensors 365A, to capture images of the user's eyes, for example, aparticular portion of the user's eyes, such as, for example, the pupil,to detect, and track direction and movement of, the user's gaze. In someimplementations, the HMD 300 may be configured so that the detected gazeis processed as a user input to be translated into a correspondinginteraction in the AR experience or the immersive VR experience. In someimplementations, the HMD 300 is configured to use the detected gaze ofthe user to determine a focus point in the immersive environment, whichcan then be used to determine an interaction mode.

FIG. 4 is a third-person view of a physical space 400, in which a user Uis experiencing an immersive environment 402 through the HMD 104. Inthis example, the computing device 102 is disposed within the HMD 104 sothat the user can see the display device 114 while wearing the HMD 104.The immersive environment 402 is generated by the computing device 102and displayed on the display device 114 of the computing device 102.

In this example, the immersive environment 402 provided by the AR/VRapplication 120 is an immersive painting environment. The immersiveenvironment 402 includes a three-dimensional canvas volume in which theuser U can virtually paint.

As shown in the figure, an interaction mode is selected based oncontextual factors of the user. In this case, the position of a handheldelectronic device 302 in the user's left hand (not shown) is determinedas a contextual factor and used to select the interaction mode. Becausethe left hand is down at the user's side, a positional interaction modeis selected.

In this example positional interaction mode, a position of the user'sright hand (RH) is tracked in the real world using, for example, thehand tracker 128. A corresponding virtual position for a virtual paintbrush entity 406 within the immersive environment 402 is determined. Asthe user's right hand moves around, the virtual paint brush entity 406moves in a corresponding manner within the immersive environment 402 andvisual entities 408 are added to the canvas 404 to represent the user'spaint strokes. Although the examples herein often relate to painting andmay include a virtual paint brush entity, other implementations relateto other activities or applications and may include other types ofvirtual entities that are controlled by a user.

FIG. 5 is a third-person view of the physical space 400 of FIG. 4, inwhich the user U is experiencing the immersive environment 402 throughthe HMD 104. In FIG. 5, the user U continues to interact with animmersive painting environment. However, in this example, the user U isnow holding the handheld electronic device 302 up in front of the user.The position of the handheld electronic device 302 causes the computingdevice 102 to select a ray-based intersection mode as the interactionmode. In this example, multiple hand properties are determined in theray-based intersection mode. First, the position of the user's righthand (RH) is determined and mapped to a virtual hand position in theimmersive environment 402. Additionally, because the ray-basedintersection mode has been selected, a pointing direction of a finger ofthe user's right hand is determined. A virtual ray 502 is generatedwithin the immersive environment 402 extending in the determinedpointing direction from the virtual hand position. As the user's handmoves in the physical world, the virtual ray 502 will move in theimmersive environment 402 allowing the user to point to and interactwith various user interface elements of a user interface entity 504. Insome implementations, the user interface entity 504 is a virtual entitythat is displayed in the immersive environment 402 based on a determinedinteraction mode, when the user performs a specific action (e.g.,holding up the handheld electronic device 302), or when the user orientstoward a specific position in the immersive environment 402.

FIG. 6 is a third-person view of a physical space 600, in which a user Uis experiencing an immersive environment 602 through the HMD 104. Inthis example, the computing device 102 is disposed within the HMD 104 sothat the user can see the display device 114 while wearing the HMD 104.The immersive environment 602 is generated by the computing device 102and displayed on the display device 114 of the computing device 102.

In this example, the immersive environment 602 provided by the AR/VRapplication 120 is an immersive nature scene and includes a virtualkeyboard 604. The immersive nature scene may include various naturalentities with which the user U can interact.

As shown in the figure, an interaction mode is selected based oncontextual factors of the user. In this case, a virtual hand position606 of the user's right hand (RH) is used to select an interaction mode.For example, based on the distance between the virtual hand position 606and the position of the virtual keyboard 604 exceeding a threshold, apoint-based collision mode is selected as the interaction mode. In thepoint-based collision mode, a region 608 around a point of the virtualhand position 606 is used for interactions with entities in theimmersive environment. For example, if an entity from the immersiveenvironment 602 (e.g., the peak of the mountain) is within the region608, an interaction with that entity may occur. As the user's right handmoves around in the physical space 600, the virtual hand position 606will move around correspondingly in the immersive environment 602.

FIG. 7 is a third-person view of the physical space 600 of FIG. 6, inwhich the user U is experiencing the immersive environment 602 throughthe HMD 104. In FIG. 7, the user U continues to interact within theimmersive nature scene. However, in this example, the right hand of theuser U has moved so as to cause the virtual hand position 606 to bepositioned closer to the virtual keyboard 604. For example, based on thedistance between the virtual hand position 606 and the position of thevirtual keyboard 604 being within a threshold, a ray-based collisionmode is selected as the interaction mode. In the ray-based collisionmode, a virtual ray 610 extends from the virtual hand position 606toward the virtual keyboard 604. Beneficially, the ray-based collisionmode may be more intuitive for the user U to interact with auser-interface entity such as the virtual keyboard 604.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show third-person views of a physical space 800, in whicha user U is experiencing an immersive environment 802 through the HMD104. In this example, the computing device 102 is disposed within theHMD 104 so that the user can see the display device 114 while wearingthe HMD 104. The immersive environment 802 is generated by the computingdevice 102 and displayed on the display device 114 of the computingdevice 102.

In this example, the immersive environment 802 provided by the AR/VRapplication 120 is an immersive nature scene and includes a virtualkeyboard 804. The immersive nature scene may include various naturalentities with which the user U can interact. FIGS. 8 and 9 are similarto the examples of FIGS. 6 and 7 except that the interaction mode isselected based on a focus position in the immersive environment 802rather than a virtual hand position.

As shown in FIG. 8, the interaction mode is selected based on contextualfactors of the user. In this case, a focus position 806 within theimmersive environment 802 is determined based on the user's gazedirection as determined by, for example, the eye tracker 124. Forexample, based on the distance between the focus position 806 and theposition of the virtual keyboard 804 exceeding a threshold, apoint-based collision mode is selected as the interaction mode. Asdescribed previously in the point-based collision mode, a virtual handposition 808 is determined from the position and/or movement of theuser's right hand (RH) in the physical space 800. In someimplementations, a region 810 around a point of the virtual handposition 808 is then used for interactions with entities in theimmersive environment.

As shown in FIG. 9, the user U continues to interact within theimmersive nature scene of the immersive environment 802. However, inthis figure, the user's gaze has shifted and the focus position 806 iscloser to the virtual keyboard 804. In some implementations, based onthe distance between the focus position 806 and the position of thevirtual keyboard 804 being within a threshold, a ray-based collisionmode is selected as the interaction mode. In the ray-based collisionmode, a virtual ray 812 extends from the virtual hand position 808toward the virtual keyboard 804. As described before, the ray-basedcollision mode may be more intuitive for the user U to interact with auser-interface entity such as the virtual keyboard 804.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a computer device 1000 and a mobile computerdevice 1050, which may be used with the techniques described here.Computing device 1000 includes a processor 1002, memory 1004, a storagedevice 1006, a high-speed interface 1008 connecting to memory 1004 andhigh-speed expansion ports 1010, and a low speed interface 1012connecting to low speed bus 1014 and storage device 1006. Each of thecomponents 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008, 1010, and 1012, are interconnectedusing various busses, and may be mounted on a common motherboard or inother manners as appropriate. The processor 1002 can processinstructions for execution within the computing device 1000, includinginstructions stored in the memory 1004 or on the storage device 1006 todisplay graphical information for a GUI on an external input/outputdevice, such as display 1016 coupled to high speed interface 1008. Inother implementations, multiple processors and/or multiple buses may beused, as appropriate, along with multiple memories and types of memory.Also, multiple computing devices 1000 may be connected, with each deviceproviding portions of the necessary operations (e.g., as a server bank,a group of blade servers, or a multi-processor system).

The memory 1004 stores information within the computing device 1000. Inone implementation, the memory 1004 is a volatile memory unit or units.In another implementation, the memory 1004 is a non-volatile memory unitor units. The memory 1004 may also be another form of computer-readablemedium, such as a magnetic or optical disk.

The storage device 1006 is capable of providing mass storage for thecomputing device 1000. In one implementation, the storage device 1006may be or contain a computer-readable medium, such as a floppy diskdevice, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device, aflash memory or other similar solid state memory device, or an array ofdevices, including devices in a storage area network or otherconfigurations. A computer program product can be tangibly embodied inan information carrier. The computer program product may also containinstructions that, when executed, perform one or more methods, such asthose described above. The information carrier is a computer- ormachine-readable medium, such as the memory 1004, the storage device1006, or memory on processor 1002.

The high speed controller 1008 manages bandwidth-intensive operationsfor the computing device 1000, while the low speed controller 1012manages lower bandwidth-intensive operations. Such allocation offunctions is exemplary only. In one implementation, the high-speedcontroller 1008 is coupled to memory 1004, display 1016 (e.g., through agraphics processor or accelerator), and to high-speed expansion ports1010, which may accept various expansion cards (not shown). In theimplementation, low-speed controller 1012 is coupled to storage device1006 and low-speed expansion port 1014. The low-speed expansion port,which may include various communication ports (e.g., USB, Bluetooth,Ethernet, wireless Ethernet) may be coupled to one or more input/outputdevices, such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a scanner, or anetworking device such as a switch or router, e.g., through a networkadapter.

The computing device 1000 may be implemented in a number of differentforms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as astandard server 1020, or multiple times in a group of such servers. Itmay also be implemented as part of a rack server system 1024. Inaddition, it may be implemented in a personal computer such as a laptopcomputer 1022. Alternatively, components from computing device 1000 maybe combined with other components in a mobile device (not shown), suchas device 1050. Each of such devices may contain one or more ofcomputing device 1000, 1050, and an entire system may be made up ofmultiple computing devices 1000, 1050 communicating with each other.

Computing device 1020 includes a processor 1052, memory 1064, aninput/output device such as a display 1054, a communication interface1066, and a transceiver 1068, among other components. The device 1050may also be provided with a storage device, such as a microdrive orother device, to provide additional storage. Each of the components1050, 1052, 1064, 1054, 1066, and 1068, are interconnected using variousbuses, and several of the components may be mounted on a commonmotherboard or in other manners as appropriate.

The processor 1052 can execute instructions within the computing device1020, including instructions stored in the memory 1064. The processormay be implemented as a chipset of chips that include separate andmultiple analog and digital processors. The processor may provide, forexample, for coordination of the other components of the device 1050,such as control of user interfaces, applications run by device 1050, andwireless communication by device 1050.

Processor 1052 may communicate with a user through control interface1058 and display interface 1056 coupled to a display 1054. The display1054 may be, for example, a TFT LCD (Thin-Film-Transistor Liquid CrystalDisplay) or an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display, or otherappropriate display technology. The display interface 1056 may includeappropriate circuitry for driving the display 1054 to present graphicaland other information to a user. The control interface 1058 may receivecommands from a user and convert them for submission to the processor1052. In addition, an external interface 1062 may be provide incommunication with processor 1052, so as to enable near areacommunication of device 1050 with other devices. External interface 1062may provide, for example, for wired communication in someimplementations, or for wireless communication in other implementations,and multiple interfaces may also be used.

The memory 1064 stores information within the computing device 1020. Thememory 1064 can be implemented as one or more of a computer-readablemedium or media, a volatile memory unit or units, or a non-volatilememory unit or units. Expansion memory 1074 may also be provided andconnected to device 1050 through expansion interface 1072, which mayinclude, for example, a SIMM (Single In Line Memory Module) cardinterface. Such expansion memory 1074 may provide extra storage spacefor device 1050, or may also store applications or other information fordevice 1050. Specifically, expansion memory 1074 may includeinstructions to carry out or supplement the processes described above,and may include secure information also. Thus, for example, expansionmemory 1074 may be provided as a security module for device 1050, andmay be programmed with instructions that permit secure use of device1050. In addition, secure applications may be provided via the SIMMcards, along with additional information, such as placing identifyinginformation on the SIMM card in a non-hackable manner.

The memory may include, for example, flash memory and/or NVRAM memory,as discussed below. In one implementation, a computer program product istangibly embodied in an information carrier. The computer programproduct contains instructions that, when executed, perform one or moremethods, such as those described above. The information carrier is acomputer- or machine-readable medium, such as the memory 1064, expansionmemory 1074, or memory on processor 1052, that may be received, forexample, over transceiver 1068 or external interface 1062.

Device 1050 may communicate wirelessly through communication interface1066, which may include digital signal processing circuitry wherenecessary. Communication interface 1066 may provide for communicationsunder various modes or protocols, such as GSM voice calls, SMS, EMS, orMMS messaging, CDMA, TDMA, PDC, WCDMA, CDMA2000, or GPRS, among others.Such communication may occur, for example, through radio-frequencytransceiver 1068. In addition, short-range communication may occur, suchas using a Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or other such transceiver (not shown). Inaddition, GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver module 1070 mayprovide additional navigation- and location-related wireless data todevice 1050, which may be used as appropriate by applications running ondevice 1050.

Device 1050 may also communicate audibly using audio codec 1060, whichmay receive spoken information from a user and convert it to usabledigital information. Audio codec 1060 may likewise generate audiblesound for a user, such as through a speaker, e.g., in a handset ofdevice 1050. Such sound may include sound from voice telephone calls,may include recorded sound (e.g., voice messages, music files, etc.) andmay also include sound generated by applications operating on device1050.

The computing device 1020 may be implemented in a number of differentforms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as acellular telephone 1080. It may also be implemented as part of a smartphone 1082, personal digital assistant, or other similar mobile device.

Various implementations of the systems and techniques described here canbe implemented in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry,specially designed application specific integrated circuits (ASICs),computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof.These various implementations can include implementation in one or morecomputer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on aprogrammable system including at least one programmable processor, whichmay be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data andinstructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storagesystem, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

These computer programs (also known as programs, applications, apps,software, software applications or code) include machine instructionsfor a programmable processor, and can be implemented in a high-levelprocedural and/or object-oriented programming language, and/or inassembly/machine language. As used herein, the terms “machine-readablemedium” and “computer-readable medium” refer to any computer programproduct, apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks,memory, Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs)) used to provide machineinstructions and/or data to a programmable processor, including amachine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as amachine-readable signal. The term “machine-readable signal” refers toany signal used to provide machine instructions and/or data to aprogrammable processor.

To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniquesdescribed here can be implemented on a computer having a display device(e.g., an LCD (liquid crystal display) screen, an OLED (organic lightemitting diode)) for displaying information to the user and a keyboard,touchscreen, and a pointing device (e.g., a touchpad, mouse, ortrackball) by which the user can provide input to the computer.Additionally, the user can provide input via hand or body actions,arrangements, poses, or gestures. Other kinds of devices can be used toprovide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedbackprovided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visualfeedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from theuser can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactileinput.

The systems and techniques described here can be implemented in acomputing system that includes a back end component (e.g., as a dataserver), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an applicationserver), or that includes a front end component (e.g., a client computerhaving a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a usercan interact with an implementation of the systems and techniquesdescribed here), or any combination of such back end, middleware, orfront end components. The components of the system can be interconnectedby any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., acommunication network). Examples of communication networks include alocal area network (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), and theInternet.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

In some implementations, the computing devices depicted in FIG. 1 caninclude sensors that interface with a virtual reality (VR headset/HMDdevice 1090) to generate an AR or VR environment with context-based handinteractions to improve the interface between the user and the immersiveenvironment and to reduce the number of processor cycles required toprovide the immersive environment, increase framerate, and/or reduce theprocessor cycles required for rendering. For example, one or moresensors included on a computing device 1020 or other computing devicedepicted in FIG. 1, can provide input to VR headset 1090 or in general,provide input to a VR space. The sensors can include, but are notlimited to, a touchscreen, accelerometers, gyroscopes, pressure sensors,biometric sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, and ambientlight sensors. The computing device 1020 can use the sensors todetermine an absolute position and/or a detected rotation of thecomputing device in the VR space that can then be used as input to theVR space. For example, the computing device 1020 may be incorporatedinto the VR space as a virtual object, such as a controller, a laserpointer, a keyboard, a weapon, etc. Positioning of the computingdevice/virtual object by the user when incorporated into the VR spacecan allow the user to position the computing device so as to view thevirtual object in certain manners in the VR space. For example, if thevirtual object represents a laser pointer, the user can manipulate thecomputing device as if it were an actual laser pointer. The user canmove the computing device left and right, up and down, in a circle,etc., and use the device in a similar fashion to using a laser pointer.

In some implementations, one or more input devices included on, orconnected to, the computing device 1020 can be used as input to the VRspace. The input devices can include, but are not limited to, atouchscreen, a keyboard, one or more buttons, a trackpad, a touchpad, apointing device, a mouse, a trackball, a joystick, a camera, amicrophone, earphones or buds with input functionality, a gamingcontroller, or other connectable input device. A user interacting withan input device included on the computing device 1020 when the computingdevice is incorporated into the VR space can cause a particular actionto occur in the VR space.

In some implementations, a touchscreen of the computing device 1020 canbe rendered as a touchpad in VR space. A user can interact with thetouchscreen of the computing device 1020. The interactions are rendered,in the VR headset 1090 for example, as movements on the renderedtouchpad in the VR space. The rendered movements can control virtualobjects in the VR space.

In some implementations, one or more output devices included on thecomputing device 1020 can provide output and/or feedback to a user ofthe VR headset 1090 in the VR space. The output and feedback can bevisual, tactical, or audio. The output and/or feedback can include, butis not limited to, vibrations, turning on and off or blinking and/orflashing of one or more lights or strobes, sounding an alarm, playing achime, playing a song, and playing of an audio file. The output devicescan include, but are not limited to, vibration motors, vibration coils,piezoelectric devices, electrostatic devices, light emitting diodes(LEDs), strobes, and speakers.

In some implementations, the computing device 1020 may appear as anotherobject in a computer-generated, 3D immersive environment. Interactionsby the user with the computing device 1020 (e.g., rotating, shaking,touching a touchscreen, swiping a finger across a touch screen) can beinterpreted as interactions with the object in the VR space. In theexample of the laser pointer in a VR space, the computing device 1020appears as a virtual laser pointer in the computer-generated, 3Denvironment. As the user manipulates the computing device 1020, the userin the VR space sees movement of the laser pointer. The user receivesfeedback from interactions with the computing device 1020 in the VRenvironment on the computing device 1020 or on the VR headset 1090.

In some implementations, a computing device 1020 may include atouchscreen. For example, a user can interact with the touchscreen in aparticular manner that causes the system to mimic what happens on thetouchscreen with what happens in the VR space. For example, a user mayuse a pinching-type motion to zoom content displayed on the touchscreen.This pinching-type motion on the touchscreen can cause informationprovided in the VR space to be zoomed. In another example, the computingdevice may be rendered as a virtual book in a computer-generated, 3Denvironment. In the VR space, the pages of the book can be displayed inthe VR space and the swiping of a finger of the user across thetouchscreen can be interpreted as turning/flipping a page of the virtualbook. As each page is turned/flipped, in addition to seeing the pagecontents change, the user may be provided with audio feedback, such asthe sound of the turning of a page in a book.

In some implementations, one or more input devices in addition to thecomputing device (e.g., a mouse, a keyboard) can be rendered in a nimmersive environment such as a computer-generated, 3D environment. Therendered input devices (e.g., the rendered mouse, the rendered keyboard)can be used as rendered in the VR space to control objects in the VRspace.

Computing device 1000 is intended to represent various forms of digitalcomputers and devices, including, but not limited to laptops, desktops,workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers,mainframes, and other appropriate computers. Computing device 1020 isintended to represent various forms of mobile devices, such as personaldigital assistants, cellular telephones, smart phones, and other similarcomputing devices. The components shown here, their connections andrelationships, and their functions, are meant to be exemplary only, andare not meant to limit implementations of the inventions describedand/or claimed in this document.

A number of embodiments have been described. Nevertheless, it will beunderstood that various modifications may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the specification.

In addition, the logic flows depicted in the figures do not require theparticular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirableresults. In addition, other steps may be provided, or steps may beeliminated, from the described flows, and other components may be addedto, or removed from, the described systems. Accordingly, otherembodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

While certain features of the described implementations have beenillustrated as described herein, many modifications, substitutions,changes and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. Itis, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended tocover all such modifications and changes as fall within the scope of theimplementations. It should be understood that they have been presentedby way of example only, not limitation, and various changes in form anddetails may be made. Any portion of the apparatus and/or methodsdescribed herein may be combined in any combination, except mutuallyexclusive combinations. The implementations described herein can includevarious combinations and/or sub-combinations of the functions,components and/or features of the different implementations described.

In the following some examples are given.

Example 1

A method for context-sensitive hand interaction with an immersiveenvironment comprising: determining a contextual factor for a user;selecting an interaction mode based on the contextual factor; monitoringa hand of the user to determine a hand property; and determining aninteraction with an immersive environment based on the interaction modeand the hand property.

Example 2

The method of example 1, wherein the monitoring the hand of the user todetermine a hand property includes monitoring the hand to determine apointing direction of a finger of the user's hand.

Example 3

The method of example 2, wherein the interaction mode is a ray-basedcollision mode and the method further includes generating a virtual raythat extends in the pointing direction from the finger of the user.

Example 4

The method of any preceding example, wherein the monitoring the hand ofthe user to determine a hand property includes monitoring the hand todetermine a position of a finger of the hand.

Example 5

The method of example 4, wherein the interaction mode is a point-basedcollision mode and the method further includes generating a collisionpoint based on the position of the finger of the hand.

Example 6

The method of any preceding example, wherein the monitoring the hand ofthe user to determine a hand property includes monitoring the user'shand to determine a gesture performed by the hand.

Example 7

The method of any preceding example, wherein the monitoring the hand ofthe user to determine a hand property includes monitoring the user'shand to determine a movement of the hand from a first position to asecond position.

Example 8

The method of any preceding example, wherein the contextual factor is amode selection and the determining the contextual factor for the userincludes: presenting a user interface that includes a plurality ofuser-selectable interface elements, each of the plurality ofuser-selecting interface elements being associated with a mode;receiving a selection from the user of one of the user-selectableinterface elements; and determining the contextual factor for the userto be the mode associated with the selected user-selectable interfaceelement.

Example 9

The method of any preceding example, wherein the contextual factor is adistance and the determining the contextual factor for the userincludes: determining a position of the user's hand; mapping theposition of the user's hand to a virtual hand position in the immersiveenvironment; and determining a distance from the virtual hand positionto a user-interface entity in the immersive environment.

Example 10

The method of example 9, wherein the selecting an interaction mode basedon the contextual factor includes: comparing the distance to a thresholddistance; responsive to determining that the distance is not greaterthan the threshold distance, selecting a ray-based collision mode as theinteraction mode; and responsive to determining that the distance isgreater than the threshold distance, selecting a point-based collisionmode as the interaction mode.

Example 11

The method of any preceding example, wherein the contextual factor is afocus position in the immersive environment and the determining thecontextual factor for the user includes: tracking a gaze of the user;and determining the focus position based on the gaze.

Example 12

The method of example 11, wherein the selecting an interaction modebased on the contextual factor includes: identifying an entity in theimmersive environment associated with the focus position; responsive todetermining that the identified entity is a user-interface entity,selecting a ray-based collision mode as the interaction mode; andresponsive to determining that the identified entity is not auser-interface entity, selecting a point-based collision mode as theinteraction mode.

Example 13

The method of any preceding example, wherein determining a contextualfactor for the user includes determining a pose or an arrangement of theuser's hand.

Example 14

The method of any preceding example, wherein the immersive environmentis an augmented reality environment.

Example 15

The method of any preceding example, wherein the immersive environmentis a virtual reality environment.

Example 16

A system for context-sensitive hand interaction with an immersiveenvironment comprising: at least one processor; and memory storinginstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causethe system to: determine a contextual factor for a user; select aninteraction mode based on the contextual factor; monitor the hand of theuser hand to determine a hand property; and determine an interactionwith an immersive environment based on the interaction mode and the handproperty.

Example 17

The system of example 16, further including a hand tracker, wherein theinstructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further causethe system to: determine a position of the hand using the hand tracker;map the position of the hand to a virtual hand position in the immersiveenvironment; and determine a distance from the virtual hand position toa user-interface entity in the immersive environment.

Example 18

The system of example 17, wherein the instructions that cause the systemto select an interaction mode based on the contextual factor includeinstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causethe system to: compare the distance to a threshold distance; responsiveto determining that the distance is not greater than the thresholddistance, select a ray-based collision mode as the interaction mode; andresponsive to determining that the distance is greater than thethreshold distance, select a point-based collision mode as theinteraction mode.

Example 19

The method of example 1, comprising: generating an immersive environmentthat includes a three-dimensional virtual canvas; wherein determining acontextual factor for a user comprises determining an orientation of ahandheld electronic device held in a first hand of a user; whereinselecting an interaction mode based on the contextual factor comprisesselecting based on the orientation of the handheld electronic deviceindicating the first hand is in a first state, a positional interactionmode; wherein monitoring a hand of the user to determine a hand propertycomprises using a hand tracker to monitor a position of a second hand ofthe user; wherein determining an interaction with an immersiveenvironment based on the interaction mode and the hand propertycomprises mapping the position of the second hand to a virtual handposition in the immersive environment; the method further comprising:generating a visual entity in the three-dimensional virtual canvas basedon the virtual hand position; monitoring for a change to the orientationof the handheld electronic device; and responsive to the orientation ofthe handheld device changing to a changed orientation: determining thatthe changed orientation indicates the first hand is in a second state;and responsive to determining that the first hand is in the secondstate, selecting a ray-based collision mode as the interaction mode andgenerating a virtual ray that extends in a pointing direction from thevirtual hand position.

Example 20

The method of example 19, wherein the first state of the first hand isdown by a side of the user.

Example 21

The method of example 19 or example 20, wherein the second state of thefirst hand is in front of the user.

Example 22

The method of any one of examples 19 to 21, further comprisingdetermining an orientation of a finger of the user; and determining thepointing direction based on the orientation of the finger.

Example 23

A method comprising: presenting a user interface that includes aplurality of user-selectable interface elements, each of the pluralityof user-selecting interface elements being associated with aninteraction mode; receiving a selection from the user of one of theuser-selectable interface elements; monitoring a user's hand todetermine a hand property; and determining an interaction with animmersive environment based on the hand property and the interactionmode associated with the selected user-selectable interface element.

Example 24

A method comprising: generating an immersive environment; using a handtracker to determine a position of a user's hand; mapping the positionof the user's hand to a virtual hand position in the immersiveenvironment; determining a distance from the virtual hand position to auser-interface entity in the immersive environment comparing thedistance to a threshold distance; responsive to determining that thedistance is not greater than the threshold distance: determining apointing direction of a finger of the user's hand; generating a virtualray in the immersive environment that extends in the pointing directionfrom the virtual hand position; and actuating a user-interface elementof the user-interface entity based on an intersection of the virtual raywith the user-interface element; responsive to determining that thedistance is greater than the threshold distance: determining a positionof the finger of the user's hand; and interacting with the immersiveenvironment based on the position of the user's finger relative to thevirtual hand position.

Example 25

A method comprising: generating an immersive environment; using an eyetracker to track a user's gaze; determining a focus position based onthe user's gaze; identifying an entity in the immersive environmentassociated with the focus position; responsive to determining that theidentified entity is a user-interface entity, selecting a ray-basedcollision mode and generating a virtual ray that extends in a pointingdirection based on an orientation of a finger of the user's hand; andresponsive to determining that the identified entity is not auser-interface entity, selecting a point-based collision mode andgenerating a collision point based on a position of the finger of theuser's hand.

Example 26

A method comprising: generating an immersive environment that includes athree-dimensional virtual canvas; determining an orientation of ahandheld electronic device held in a first hand of a user; based on theorientation of the handheld electronic device indicating the first handis in a first state, selecting a positional interaction mode; using ahand tracker to determine a position of a second hand of the user;mapping the position of the second hand to a virtual hand position inthe immersive environment; generating a visual entity in thethree-dimensional virtual canvas based on the virtual hand position;monitoring for a change to the orientation of the handheld electronicdevice; and responsive to the orientation of the handheld devicechanging to a changed orientation: determining that the changedorientation indicates the first hand is in a second state; andresponsive to determining that the first hand is in the second state,selecting a ray-based collision mode as the interaction mode andgenerating a virtual ray that extends in a pointing direction from thevirtual hand position.

Example 27

The method of example 26, wherein the first state of the first hand isdown by a side of the user.

Example 28

The method of example 26 or example 27, wherein the second state of thefirst hand is in front of the user.

Example 29

The method of any one of examples 26 to 28, further comprisingdetermining an orientation of a finger of the user; and determining thepointing direction based on the orientation of the finger.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: determining a contextualfactor for a user; selecting an interaction mode, from a plurality ofinteraction modes, based on the contextual factor; monitoring a hand ofthe user to determine a hand property; and determining an interactionwith an immersive environment based on the interaction mode and the handproperty, wherein determining the contextual factor includes:determining a focus position in the immersive environment based on adetected gaze of the user; and identifying an entity in the immersiveenvironment associated with the focus position; and selecting theinteraction mode includes: responsive to determining that the identifiedentity includes a user-interface entity, selecting a first interactionmode of the plurality of interaction modes as the interaction mode; andresponsive to determining that the identified entity does not include auser-interface entity, selecting a second interaction mode of theplurality of interaction modes as the interaction mode.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the monitoring the hand of the user to determine a handproperty includes monitoring the hand to determine a pointing directionof a finger of the user's hand.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein thefirst interaction mode is a ray-based collision mode and the methodfurther includes generating a virtual ray that extends in the pointingdirection from the finger of the user.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe monitoring the hand of the user to determine a hand propertyincludes monitoring the hand to determine a position of a finger of thehand.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein, in the second interaction modeof the plurality of interaction modes, the method further includesgenerating a collision point based on the position of the finger of thehand.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring the hand of theuser to determine a hand property includes monitoring the user's hand todetermine a gesture performed by the hand.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the monitoring the hand of the user to determine a hand propertyincludes monitoring the user's hand to determine a movement of the handfrom a first position to a second position.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein the contextual factor is a mode selection and the determiningthe contextual factor for the user includes: presenting a user interfacethat includes a plurality of user-selectable interface elements, each ofthe plurality of user-selecting interface elements being associated witha mode; receiving a selection from the user of one of theuser-selectable interface elements; and determining the contextualfactor for the user to be the mode associated with the selecteduser-selectable interface element.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein thecontextual factor is a distance and the determining the contextualfactor for the user includes: determining a position of the user's hand;mapping the position of the user's hand to a virtual hand position inthe immersive environment; and determining a distance from the virtualhand position to a user-selectable interface element in the immersiveenvironment.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein selecting theinteraction mode, from the plurality of interaction modes, based on thecontextual factor includes: comparing the distance to a thresholddistance; responsive to determining that the distance is not greaterthan the threshold distance, selecting the first interaction mode as theinteraction mode; and responsive to determining that the distance isgreater than the threshold distance, selecting the second interactionmode, of the plurality of interaction modes, as the interaction mode.11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the contextual factor forthe user includes determining a pose of the user's hand.
 12. The methodof claim 1, wherein the immersive environment is an augmented realityenvironment.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the immersiveenvironment is a virtual reality environment.
 14. A system, comprising:at least one processor; and memory storing instructions that, whenexecuted by the at least one processor, cause the system to: determine acontextual factor for a user, including: determine a focus position inthe immersive environment based on a detected gaze of the user; andidentify an entity in the immersive environment based on the focusposition; select an interaction mode, from a plurality of interactionmodes, based on the contextual factor, including: select a firstinteraction mode of the plurality of interaction modes as theinteraction mode in response to a determination that the identifiedentity includes a user-interface entity; and select a second interactionmode of the plurality of interaction modes as the interaction mode inresponse to a determination that the identified entity does not includea user-interface entity; monitor the hand of the user hand to determinea hand property; and determine an interaction with an immersiveenvironment based on the interaction mode and the hand property.
 15. Thesystem of claim 14, further including a hand tracker, wherein theinstructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further causethe system to: determine a position of the hand using the hand tracker;map the position of the hand to a virtual hand position in the immersiveenvironment; and determine a distance from the virtual hand position toa user-selectable interface element in the immersive environment. 16.The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions that cause the systemto select an interaction mode based on the contextual factor includeinstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causethe system to: compare the distance to a threshold distance; responsiveto determining that the distance is not greater than the thresholddistance, select the first interaction mode as the interaction mode; andresponsive to determining that the distance is greater than thethreshold distance, select the second interaction mode as theinteraction mode.
 17. A method comprising: generating an immersiveenvironment that includes a three-dimensional virtual canvas;determining an orientation of a handheld electronic device held in afirst hand of a user; based on the orientation of the handheldelectronic device indicating the first hand is in a first state,selecting a positional interaction mode; using a hand tracker todetermine a position of a second hand of the user; mapping the positionof the second hand to a virtual hand position in the immersiveenvironment; generating a visual entity in the three-dimensional virtualcanvas based on the virtual hand position; monitoring for a change tothe orientation of the handheld electronic device; and responsive to theorientation of the handheld device changing to a changed orientation:determining that the changed orientation indicates the first hand is ina second state; and responsive to determining that the first hand is inthe second state, selecting a ray-based collision mode as theinteraction mode and generating a virtual ray that extends in a pointingdirection from the virtual hand position.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein the first state of the first hand is down by a side of the user.19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second state of the first handis in front of the user.
 20. The method of claim 17, further comprisingdetermining an orientation of a finger of the user; and determining thepointing direction based on the orientation of the finger.
 21. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the first interaction mode is a ray-basedinteraction mode, and the second interaction mode is a point-basedcollision mode.
 22. The method of claim 14, wherein the firstinteraction mode is a ray-based interaction mode, and the secondinteraction mode is a point-based collision mode.
 23. The system ofclaim 14, wherein the immersive environment is an augmented realityenvironment.
 24. The method of claim 17, wherein the immersiveenvironment is an augmented reality environment.